PM Anutin Visits Flooded Community, Residents Demand Aid
Prime Minister Anutin visited a flooded Bangkok community where residents demanded aid, mobile toilets, and food assistance during the emergency response in Bang Khen district.
Following a press briefing, Prime Minister Anutin Chaiyvarakul and Interior Minister Anutin, along with their team, visited the Prem Prachakon Canal community in Bang Khen district to monitor flood conditions. They arrived in a high-lift vehicle from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation based at Don Mueang Airport. The PM wore a white polo shirt with a dragon pattern, black trousers, and canvas shoes.
When the PM arrived, residents shouted "we cannot afford this," demanding that he wade through floodwaters and offering to carry him by boat to see their living conditions. After staff informed him of their plea, the PM walked down to speak with residents who requested mobile toilets due to difficulties during flooding. He instructed Bangkok authorities to provide them quickly and advised elderly residents to move to evacuation shelters due to disease risks.
Another group of residents complained that rice distributed on September 26 was insufficient. The PM called the Defence Minister to order mobile kitchen units and personally handed 3,000 baht to a meatball shop, 10,000 baht to a prepared food vendor, and 5,000 baht to a noodle shop to distribute food to residents while waiting for the kitchen units to become operational.
The PM then visited Bang Khen School evacuation center in Soi 4, Bangkok, to distribute aid and meet evacuees. In an interview afterward, he said the Cabinet would meet this afternoon to decide on a public holiday date related to the King. He noted that Deputy PM Pakorn Nilpraphan is reviewing legal procedures before presenting the proposal to Cabinet, as the decision requires Cabinet resolution. Once declared, all schools and government offices will observe the same holiday, preventing legal complications for those with reporting requirements. The PM stated that relief criteria remain unchanged and that authorities are providing food, medicine, and other assistance. He acknowledged that some residents are reluctant to leave their homes and promised to work with elderly evacuees with understanding.
